CHP Academy Day 40/187

So I know I don't usually write on Fridays, but it is day FORTY.  It seems like I should write on day forty.  :)  Today was fun for me.  After dropping off A and H, M and I headed over to Target to spend some birthday money.  I would like to thank those who gave me money or a gift card for my tea kettle, cheap wine glasses (I was down to one), The Office season 8, and Titanic on Blu-ray.  :)  I will now have hours of entertainment along with some beverages.  So thank you!  We also walked through the Halloween section of the store.  Every time one of the things would go off, M would say, not in a very convincing voice: "It not real. It just a toy. Not scary."  :)  After Target, I met up with my BFF at our church where the youth was putting on a yard sale.  I bought the board game Cranium for $2.00!  FYI-  If you are going to donate a board game to a church for a youth yard sale, and have boys living in your house (pretty sure boys had something to do with it); you should probably look into the box. You know, just to make sure there are no drawings of male genitalia on the pads of paper that go with the game.  Because, even if they are very creative, (there was a ninja, one was a cop, one was even a rocket ship in space with "U.S.S.R" on the side) you never know who might be the first to open said box.  Luckily, this time it was the adult and not two little girls under the age of eight.  :)
M was super excited because Auntie A (my BFF) bought her a bracelet that she has been proudly wearing ever since.  She also had a great time of pointing it out to her sisters.

After the yard sale, the three of us stopped by Starbucks for coffee and then a very quick - and for me, free- shopping trip to T.J. Max. By that time it was time to get the girls from school.  So we told Auntie A good-bye, and headed off to the school.  Once we were able to fight our way out of the parking lot, we were headed to the pet store to buy the "your dog is super old" dog food.  Well at least that was the plan, when we got to the pet store the girls noticed the newly opened Halloween store and started begging to go in.  All three girls: "Mommy please! We promise we won't ask you to buy anything!  Please! We just want to look! Mommy PLEASE!"  We were not in the store thirty seconds before all three of them had said the wanted something.  The funniest part was they refused to go to the "scary looking" side of the store. 

After that it was home-again-home-again-jig-a-dee-jig, where we waited for Brian to come home.  YAY Friday!!

Brian had a pretty good day too.  He said PT was hard and included 125 nose-in-the-rings, but the rest of the day was not too bad.  He had two test, which he is pretty sure he did well on.  He spent the last hour of the day just waiting for five.  After the week he had it was nice to have that break.  So Week Six is down!  :)

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Day 39/187. Movie Night!

Thursday!  Another good day.  I spent the morning steam cleaning the carpet in the living room. Then it was off to the pregnancy center. Then home, dinner, got the girls in bed, then... MOVIE NIGHT!  My best friend came over and we watched October Baby, a beautiful movie.  I highly recommend it, but have the tissues ready.  We are talking tears running down! I love movie night.  There was popcorn, chocolate chip cookies (thanks to the soccer fundraiser), hot tea, and girl talk.  It was like a big giant girly piece of heaven. 

Brian did have a better day today.  Today, due to some activities that he describes as "super fun, but kind of a blur", he now has a fat lip.  He also said that his nose is a little sore and he has a decent size scratch on his arm.  Sounds like a fun day to me.  He said tomorrow should be pretty "calm".  Nothing too exciting is planned.  We shall see...

Well this post is pretty short...but it is bed time. 

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Day 38/187.

It is Wednesday and that means in less than forty-eight hours Brian will be home for the weekend!  Today I was not as lucky with dropping off the girls off at school.  Only because A wanted me to ask her teacher if her new headband she got for her birthday was okay to wear to school.  The school has a strict uniform policy, which we are okay with.  She was afraid she would get in trouble for wearing the headband that has a giant silver glittery bow. Super cute!  I tried to tell her it was fine, but she wanted me to ask.  I was right, her teacher said as long as it does not become a distraction it is fine to wear.  Because of that I got stuck right in the middle of the crazy mad rush.

Once I made it out of the craziness, M and I headed off to the park for our run.  The distance of the run was good, but the energy level and the time it took to complete that distance was not great.  After the run M played on the playground until it was time to go.  The rest of the day was spent keeping M entertained and doing odd jobs around the house.

I did drive up to have dinner with Brian.  Poor Brian, he didn't have a good morning.  After doing the normal PT and 100+ lunges (each leg) he got noticed by a staff officer...not a good thing.  Next Wednesday I will not be driving up to have dinner with him next week.  The lunges were followed by a three mile run, more lunges, and then sit ups in the dirt.  He looked so tired!  I did laugh at him after he did an about face when he went up to get our food.  They called out our number, he stood up, did an about face and walked off!  Me: "Did you just do an about face to get our food?" Brian: "No...maybe...this is going into your blog, isn't it?"  Me:" Well, now it is."  :)  Don't worry, even with his bad day he still has his since of humor.  He sent me a text while I was driving home that said I made it back safe. If you are reading this while driving you are violating section (long number) of the vehicle code.  First of all, I did not read the text until I got home.  Second, of course he made it back safe, we had dinner right next to the academy! :)

Tomorrow is my day at the pregnancy center, then MOVIE NIGHT!  Hopefully Brian has a better day tomorrow.  Either way, less than forty eight hours until he is home for the weekend. :)

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Day 37/187.

Today was another good day.  I got the girls to school on time, early really!  I was able to get out of the parking lot by 8:00, before the mad crazy rush.  Then M and I picked up my best friend and went to my first Mops meeting.  It was a lot of fun! M had a blast!  Then we went to Micheal's to pick up a few things I needed.  M was hungry and wanted Taco Bell. She is a bossy little thing.  So we had taco bell for lunch with my BFF and her hubby.  Then it was home for a little bit before picking up A and H from school.  That was my day! Fun, but not much to write about. :)

Brian's day was exciting! He was surprised to get his name called out to go to EVOC.  He said it was fun!  He got to drive in reverse as fast as he could.  He said the first time he drove through each course he was a little nervous, but he got over that.  He passed the first day!  He also got to write a few tickets.  I don't think I mentioned before how Brian is now when we drive places.  He now plays a game that I call "Why you get a ticket".  It involves him telling me what he noticed and the code that goes with that violation.  It also involves him pointing out expired tags, him saying how long they have been expired and how soon the vehicle could be towed.  (FYI, there are a lot of expired tags in our area.)  It is actually kind of interesting and I am impressed with the amount of knowledge he can just spew out.  I am sure he is "playing the game" to reinforce what he has learned, and not to show off! Maybe to show off just a little bit. :)

Tomorrow Brian has liberty, so I will be driving up to have dinner with him.  Other than that, tomorrow should be a pretty quiet.  I hope I didn't just jinx it.  For now, I have a few craft projects that need my attention.  :)

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Days 31-36/187

Hello everyone!
It has been awhile since I have written.  The last week has been a whirlwind of activity!  There was visiting Brian on Wednesday. My birthday on Thursday.  A's birthday, which involved three different parties.  The first was her mini party in her classroom. Then there was the tea party in our local tea shop. Then her actual party with presents, cake and ice cream.  All three girls spent the night at Brian's parent's house on Saturday night, so A said she was having a slumber party.  It was so nice to have a night without the girls.  I love them, but sometimes Mommy needs a break.  (It was so quiet!)  On Sunday, Brian got up and made breakfast.  After church, we just stayed home.  Sunday evenings we have been having movie night.  The girls pick a movie, lay out blankets, and eat their dinners in the living room.  When it is time for Brian to leave we pause the movie, say our good-byes, and then stand in the door waving until we can't see him anymore.  Then they run upstairs, change into their PJs, brush their teeth, and then we continue with the movie.  It helps them not focus on Daddy leaving.  Which, in return, makes it easier for Brian to leave.  This week Brian had a hard time leaving.

Today was a good day.  The girls, overall, were very well behaved!  Last week they were not behaved.  They continuously were fighting, whining, hitting, screaming, and crying.  Not to mention they were hard of hearing.  Every morning H refused to move faster then a snail.  They drove me CRAZY! I was not able to get anything done.  Today was good!  H was actually the first one dressed!  There was no tantrums. I was able to get things done.  So I am much happier today then I was last week!

Brian said his day was nothing special.  PT in the morning then classes the rest of the day.  I am sure there was a lot of yelling and being called names, but that is nothing new.  Another cadet quit, but Brian wasn't sure if he ever came back from the weekend. 

Tomorrow I am going to a MOPS group.  It is my first time so I am a little nervous, but I will have my BFF with me.  I think it should be fun! Plus, free child care!  :) 

Blessings,
~Cara

CHP Academy Day 30/187

Day 30!  Although it was a Tuesday, it felt like Monday.  After dropping off "Thing 1" and "Thing 2", M and I took Willow to her veterinary appointment.  That was a fun drive, she cried all the way there and all the way home.  She has one more set of shots and then we can get her fixed.  Hopefully that will calm her down a little bit.  She has been terrorizing the other pets. :) 

Besides the trip to the vet, picking up her sisters, and a quick trip to Target, M and I had a pretty boring day.  M did go #2 on the potty!  This is the third time in the last week.  HUGE improvement, I can almost see light at the end of the tunnel!  She has been the most difficult by far with potty training.  She is also the pickiest eater and the most rambunctious.  :)

On the way home from picking up A and H, H was telling me all about how she got to run around the track two times.  Then she said: "I just kept saying to myself 'run like Mommy. Run like Mommy.  That way I would run super fast like you".  Aww, she thinks I run fast!  Isn't that sweet!  Later she thanked me for making her "an awesome lunch". :)  On the other side of the sweetness scale, M locked me out of the house.  I walked out the door to take the trash out.  As I was walking back up the drive way, I noticed M was looking out the window giving me her elfish smile.  I should have known.  I went to open the door...nothing.  I could hear her giggling!  I had to wait for A to come and open the door.  Apparently, I need to take my keys with me every time I walk out the door.  She is a sneaky little thing! Like a ninja!  A cute, loveable, funny, little ninja.

I just talked to Brian.  He said things were a little sad today.  A CHP officer was shot on I-680 today. The bullet severed the spinal cord and he is on life support.  Prayers are definitely needed for the officer and his family.  Brian said some of the staff knew the officer personally, including the one who delivered the news.  While talking to Brian, I could tell that he seemed more determined than before.  We had talked about the risk involved, multiple times, before he left for the academy.  Since being in the academy, the topic has been brought up many times.  The risk is why Brian is training as hard as he is right now.  We know that the risk is large, but we also know that God is in complete control.  He is never surprised.  I know Brian is in good hands- the best hands.  For now all I can do is pray.  So far it has worked.  Including the helicopter crash and the time he was held up at gun point. 

Please remember the officer and his loved ones in your prayers.

Blessings,
~Cara  

CHP Academy Days 26-29/187

It is Monday of week 5!  We had a quiet, stay at home weekend.  Saturday, we ran a few errands, but spent most of the day at home.  Brian had a lot of studying to do and had to hand write a paper in his new hand writing. It is so weird to see his handwriting change!  I have to say that it is a huge improvement on his old handwriting.  His old handwriting looked like a third graders. :) I spent the day ironing his pants (ugh) and then worked on A's scrapbook.  We had a delicious dinner with peach cobbler for dessert (Brian's request).  The girls went to bed early since nap time was spent destroying their bedroom.  Then Brian and I watched "The Hunger Games", ate popcorn, and relaxed.  Sunday was just as quiet.  We did not make it to church. :(  I wanted to make sure Brian got in all the rest and relaxation he could get this weekend because next weekend will be FULL.  He got a lot of studying done, and I worked on A's scrapbook until I ran out of double sided tape.

Brian filled me in about all the things he has learned.  He said some people in his class are earning their CHP shirts back, one of which was a woman who went all ninja with her baton.  Brian still has his "marshmallow" letters shirt, which is a little bit of a sore subject since he was so close to keeping his CHP shirt.  He was also a little sore from "cleaning" the gym floor with his fellow cadets.  By cleaning, I mean they pushed their towels across the floor in a bear crawl, then turned around and went back.  This was after doing "like a thousand" Nose in the Rings.  Brian is still on the training table. As of Saturday morning he had lost ten pounds.  He might have to trade in his pants for a smaller size.

Brian is starting Spanish class tomorrow and sex crimes on Friday.  He thinks he should start driving sometime during this week.  They cancelled the ones last week, so he does not know if they will start this week.  He does have liberty this Wednesday night so I will be making a trip up to see him!

That is basically it!  Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day!    :)
Blessings,
~Cara